On May 8, a boater reported seeing the carcasses of two horses on the Baraboo River just west of Lavalle, Wisconsin, according to a written statement from Sauk County Sheriff Chip Meister. Meister's statement said sheriff’s deputies and the boater located the carcass of one horse that day and, on May 9, deputies found the remains of the second horse in the river.

“The investigation has never generated any evidence of criminal activity,” Meister's statement said. “At this time it is believed that the horses drowned in the river by accident.”

Knopf said that finding the horses provided a sense of closure, but there is at least one question regarding the animals still remains: “Why did they go to the water's edge? We'll never know. Still we're grateful to the whole community that helped us recover them and put them in a peaceful, respectful resting place.”